scirrhus
Definition
- Noun (Pathology):
- Hard cancerous tumor: "scirrhus" refers to a firm, dense, and fibrous cancerous growth, often occurring in connective tissue or organs such as the breast or stomach. It is characterized by its hardness due to a high proportion of fibrous tissue.
- Historical medical term: In older medical usage, "scirrhus" described any hardened, non-ulcerated tumor, which was later specifically identified as a type of carcinoma.
Usage Examples
- Noun (hard tumor):
- The surgeon identified a scirrhus in the patient's breast tissue. (A hard, fibrous cancerous growth found during examination.)
- Scirrhus of the stomach can cause severe digestive obstruction. (A dense tumor in the stomach leading to blockage.)
Advanced Usage
- "Scirrhous carcinoma": a more modern term for a scirrhus, referring to a type of cancer with a hard, fibrous structure.
- Scirrhous carcinoma is often difficult to treat due to its dense nature. (A firm cancer with limited blood supply.)
Variants and Related Words
Scirrhous (adj): relating to or resembling a scirrhus; hard and fibrous.
- The scirrhous texture of the tumor made it challenging to remove surgically. (The tumor's hard, fibrous quality.)
Scirrhosity (n): the condition or quality of being scirrhous; hardness of a tissue or tumor.
- The scirrhosity of the growth indicated a long-standing malignancy. (The hardness of the tumor suggested chronic cancer.)
Synonyms
- Hard tumor: a growth with dense, firm tissue.
- Fibrous carcinoma: a cancer characterized by abundant fibrous connective tissue.
Related Idioms
Phrasal Verbs